Literary Executive Review Advance: Myrna Denham Porter, “The Blue House: An Elder’s Lifelong Search for Meaning and Purpose”

by ReadersMagnet | October 27, 2025 | Literary Executive Review | 0 Comments

Some might notice that we review a lot of memoirs here, and you wouldn’t be wrong. This is because many of these memoirs are written by authors who have already experienced much in life and have a lot to share.

That is why it has been an honor for me to read about the life of Myrna Denham Porter through her book The Blue House: An Elder’s Lifelong Search for Meaning and Purpose. Born and raised “at the edge of the Canadian Prairies,” she describes her life as one who had grown up in harsh conditions yet managed to go far after emigrating to the United States and becoming somebody who had made a difference in the lives of others.

Myrna is a veteran volunteer at Wellness Place, a non-profit cancer support center in Chicago. I am really excited to give our readers a glimpse into her book and share things that can encourage them to pick it up, and also learn from Myrna’s incredible life journey.

A Saga of Values

Now, despite all the memoirs we’ve covered here, I’m always amazed at how they distinguish themselves. This isn’t just because it’s natural for different people to have all sorts of unique life experiences, no! It is also because many of the memoirs I’ve seen have a different purpose in their telling.

I’ve seen some authors write theirs for the sake of awareness about various issues. Others write theirs to share their faith, while there are also those who share their story because they are looking for justice.

In the case of The Blue House, Myrna makes it clear that she wants her memoir to leave behind the values that have always helped her push forward in life. We see in the introduction a glimpse of the many battles she’s had (cancer, marriage issues, etc). But at the same time, she makes her intent clear: She wants her story to encourage them to establish their values, find purpose, and do their part in passing them on.

Life on the Canadian Prairies

So, the first chapters of the memoir follow the standard structure of introducing one’s family and place of growing up. We learn that Myrna was born as the seventh of 17 children. There’s a bit of historical background as well, which was very interesting. There are many today who still don’t know that the hard times of the Great Depression affected more than just the United States. It reached all the way up north to Canada, affecting the lives of her parents, with their prairies being just as affected by the Dust Bowl.

There’s a bit of genealogy in these chapters as well, and we learn a few things about the many siblings Myrna has had (and the relationships she’s had with each of them).

As for the titular Blue House, I was impressed both by her description of it and the surrounding area. These chapters not only talk about the physical aspect, but also the cultural and spiritual elements of the place as well.

I admit, I’m one of those who tends to think of Canada as a little more similar to Alaska than someplace south of the United States. That’s why I’m quite pleased to read the way this view is challenged by Myrna’s own account of growing up in Saskatchewan.

Readers can really sense her fondness for the life there despite the hardship. The difficulties she’s faced had not taken away her love for the clear skies and wheat fields that surrounded her growing up.

The titular blue house was a farmhouse that was about as simple as it could get. The large family that she had could barely fit inside, and they had to make do with it all regardless. And of course, we read about how the life inside this house was where most of her difficulties stemmed from.

One chapter is particularly dedicated to Myrna’s father, and it’s hard to really describe the very complex feelings she is expressing here without giving too much of the book away. However, for those who know just what it is like to have a difficult parent yet still strive to understand them, then this would really resonate with you!

Growing Up and Flying Farther

Even as I read past the chapters about her family and towards how she came to emigrate, it is interesting that they are never really far from Myrna’s thoughts. There are many instances where she either keeps in touch with them or meets them from time to time.

On the other hand, I was very inspired by how she just kept on forging ahead, even with all the challenges she was facing as she started high school. These chapters talk about how she had been moving from different houses, working all the while. The challenges she’s faced include not only the struggle of a country girl trying to fit in, but also maintaining a fierce determination to find success and really distance herself from the poverty she had grown up with.

We also get to learn a bit more about Myrna’s extended family and how a lot of them also played a role in her emigration. It was really heartwarming to see her write fondly about relatives who gave her the kind of treatment her own father couldn’t.

At this point, I think this part is a great reminder of one of the other major themes of this book: role models.

The impact of good role models and mentors has been one of the most memorable lessons in Myrna’s life, and she lists a lot of examples throughout the book. These people were either folks who inspired her to pursue higher aspirations or people who gave her support when she really needed it.

Eventually, we see her first major breakthrough in becoming a flight attendant, and how she really made the most of the opportunity to travel.

Stormy Challenges and Flying Back to the Beginning

Much like her family, Myrna is never away from the next big obstacle in her life, and it’s very admirable when you’re writing a memoir. It shows that an author is willing to write down difficult memories, and at the same time, it shows their determination to still keep going.

Even after experiencing initial success as a flight attendant, Myrna was at a stage where there were still many things she aimed to achieve. We learn more about her eventual marriage, the challenges that came from that, and then on to her brief but memorable career as a nurse. She also talks about her very intense battle with cancer in her later years. And all the while, she stays true to her intention of keeping her memoir a reflection on her 80 years of life and her desire that it leaves behind something to pass on.

It is really quite the saga, and it’s incredible that she manages to share so much of her life even when the book is just under 200 pages. Her pacing is brisk yet still detailed because there are just so many events that she was able to recount and write down.

Going over the book’s cover again, I’ve concluded that this is one very well-written memoir about a life journey, only to come back to where that life began. The titular blue house (at times thematically and literally) is at both ends of her powerful story.You can read more about the life journey shared in The Blue House: An Elder’s Lifelong Search for Meaning and Purpose by just checking it out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or ReadersMagnet Bookstore.